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Darling Baby

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Beloved artist Maira Kalman shows us that a darling baby is all you need to see everything with new eyes

Based on the journal she kept during the first months she spent with her new granddaughter, Maira Kalman brings to life the tiny and grand moments of one summer by the sea, brimming with beauty and love. Like the classics Tell Me Again About the Night I was Born and More, More, More Said the Baby, this book offers young children an irresistible window into a time when they were the center of their family's world. New parents and grandparents will delight in the exploration of how nothing makes an ordinary day more extraordinary than sharing it with a baby.

40 pages, Hardcover

Published June 1, 2021

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About the author

Maira Kalman

73 books616 followers
Maira Kalman was born in Tel Aviv and moved to New York with her family at the age of four. She has worked as a designer, author, illustrator and artist for more than thirty years without formal training. Her work is a narrative journal of her life and all its absurdities. She has written and illustrated twelve children's books including Ooh-la-la- Max in Love, What Pete Ate, and Swami on Rye. She often illustrates for The New Yorker magazine, and is well known for her collaboration with Rick Meyerowitz on the NewYorkistan cover in 2001. Recent projects include The Elements of Style (illustrated), and a monthly on-line column entitled Principles of Uncertainty for The New York Times.

She lives in New York and walks a lot.

(http://www.saulgallery.com)

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5 stars
15 (18%)
4 stars
31 (38%)
3 stars
21 (26%)
2 stars
11 (13%)
1 star
2 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
Profile Image for Heidi Burkhart.
2,297 reviews51 followers
June 26, 2021
Kalman has written and illustrated many different kinds of picture books over the years. This one stands out as unique since it is clearly autobiographical. Written about her first grandchild Kalman brings to life the delicate emotions that may mostly be shared by a grandparent and grandchild.

A nice book to gift to a new grandparent.
Profile Image for Zibby Owens.
Author 6 books20.5k followers
October 26, 2021
The only thing more special than a baby itself is the bond between babies and grandparents. Author/illustrator Maira Kalman perfectly captures that short and magical time by chronicling a summer at the beach with her granddaughter. Her incomparable drawings accompany the story.

This book spoke to me on a lot of levels because I have four children. As close as I was to each of them as babies, I wonder what it will be like when they have children of their own, and I become a grandmother. The book so beautifully captured the unique bond between grandparents and grandchildren, all the more because it came from Kalman’s journal of a summer by the shore with her granddaughter. I also loved her drawings which bring their trademark perspective to what’s written on the page.

To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at: https://zibbyowens.com/transcript/mai...
Profile Image for Kristen.
177 reviews
January 8, 2022
This book felt so sweet to me. I loved the narration, and seeing the different and simple parts of their daily lives. My sister has a new baby, and now I want to gift this book to her.
Profile Image for Relyn.
3,681 reviews61 followers
April 30, 2024
I'm such a Maira Kalman fan. This one is so sweet.
Profile Image for Katelyn.
145 reviews104 followers
November 3, 2021
An endearing story about a grandma and grand baby. The story and illustrations are slightly disjointed and odd, but in a charming way. ☺️
Profile Image for Lexi.
513 reviews10 followers
August 19, 2021
So this book is wild. It reminded me of a drug trance with the colors and drawings. I LOVED how weird this book felt❤️
Profile Image for Tina Hoggatt.
1,095 reviews8 followers
August 21, 2021
No one quite like Kalman. This book has the immediacy of a very young child's experience and the nostalgic tone of an older narrator. Illustrations delightful and strange, as ever.
Profile Image for Alana.
1,687 reviews50 followers
December 26, 2021
This book is more of a poem, with the adult seeing all of the "ordinary" things through the eyes of a baby, and remembering what it's like to see them all for the first time, and the wonder that is the world. It's not made clear who the adult is, though likely a grandparent, since at point the child is away on a trip for a few days and the adult feels like all these things just aren't quite the same without those fresh, fascinated eyes.
Profile Image for Jo Oehrlein.
6,338 reviews9 followers
January 19, 2022
An adult talks to a baby about things through the day. Lots of emphasis on the colors.

It talks about stuff that happens while the adult and the baby are sleeping. How does she know?

Kind of an odd book.
Profile Image for Oona.
210 reviews
December 24, 2021
A good gift for new grandparents to read with grandchildren.
Profile Image for Deborah.
Author 13 books198 followers
Read
January 23, 2022
"I will carry you... I will say, 'Look at this, look at that.' ..."

A tender love letter from grandparent to grandchild—would make a beautiful gift to new grandparents.
Profile Image for Jeimy.
4,973 reviews32 followers
March 13, 2022
What a great idea!
What a precious book!
I will never forget the dog in the fez or the guy who put the pie in his hat.
Profile Image for Rebecca.
4,678 reviews176 followers
November 22, 2022
I just love Maira Kalman and her observation/appreciation of the commonplace: light on the water, cherry pie, people in a diner. This would be a unique baby shower gift book.
Profile Image for J.
2,143 reviews
January 4, 2022
This was soooo beautiful! I bought this for my niece for xmas and I adore it. It's basically a book of the mood and feelings that Maira had, while she was spending the summer with her infant grandchild. It's so tender and touching that I got misty eyed while reading it. Another gorgeous work of art by Kalman.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews

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